Remains show Dogs were 'Treated like Humans' 8,000 years ago
Ancient burials reveal dogs have always been man's best friend: Remains show canines were 'treated like humans' 8,000 years ago
Ancient dog skeletons were discovered at Lake Baikal in Siberia
They reveal the animals were treated like humans in life and death
The dogs were buried with humans or objects, such as decorative collars
Canines were fed similar meals to humans, including meat and fish
An ancient cemetery where dogs were buried like humans (remains shown) between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago is shedding light on our close relationship with man's best friend. Prized canines were buried wearing decorative collars, or with objects such as spoons, suggesting people believed they had souls in the afterlife
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An ancient cemetery where dogs were buried like humans between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago is shedding light on our close relationship with man's best friend.
The remains at Lake Baikal, Siberia reveal the animals were laid to rest alongside their owners and were treated like humans in life, and death.
Prized canines were buried wearing decorative collars, or with objects such as spoons, suggesting people believed they had souls in the afterlife, one anthropologist believes.
The site at Lake Baikal points to some of the earliest evidence of dog domestication but also suggests dogs were held in the same high esteem as humans. A grave is shown. Some of the graves contain artefacts such as spoons and collars, suggesting people thought the dogs had souls and access to an afterlife
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obert Losey, of the University of Alberta, unearthed the doggy remains near the world's deepest freshwater lake and is an expert on the relationship between canines and humans.
He said in a video there are more dog burials in pre-history than any other animals, including cats and horses, suggesting canines had 'a very special place in human communities in the past'.
The site at Lake Baikal points to some of the earliest evidence of dog domestication but also suggests dogs were held in the same high esteem as humans.
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THE ORIGIN OF MODERN DOGS
All modern dogs are believed to have descended from the Eurasian grey wolf, one subspecies of which branched off and began interacting with humans between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago, 'probably of their own accord, without humans intervening in their lives,' Dr Losey explained.
The wolves likely foraged around human campsites, gradually growing less inhibited.
Once their potential as companions and workmates became apparent, they were domesticated and selectively bred.
Somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, the wolf evolved into an animal genetically indistinguishable from the modern dog.
Though today's dog is closer genetically to its ancient ancestor than to the modern wolf, most specific dog breeds have roots that go back only about 200 years.
The remains at Lake Baikal, Siberia (marked on the map) -the world's deepest freshwater lake - reveal the animals were laid to rest alongside their owners and were treated like humans in life and death
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In one instance a man was found buried in the same grave as his two dogs, one on either side.
But the dogs also seem to have been treated like humans while they lived.
Dr Losey used chemical analysis of the bones to reveal that dogs were fed the same diet as prehistoric humans, including meat and fish, which they obtained by hunting.
'Early on there's evidence to suggest people loved and cared for their dogs in much the same way we do now, but they were also working companions, involved in all of our daily tasks,' Dr Losey said.
'Thousands of years ago there were even lapdogs-the Romans had them.
'Clearly, people long ago began breeding dogs for specific purposes.
